Nharfu
Very few maps accurately record Nharfu's location, if they record it at all, and to many outside of the Sabo Jungles it seems more fairy tale and fever dream than anything that could realistically exist. By reputation, Nharfu sits above the mundane concerns of the world, hidden within Gtalsifom's wilderness - a golden and reclusive paradise rumored to guard a looming terror at its heart. For several miles surrounding Nharfu, the jungle rises up like a living wall, with animated brambles, carnivorous plants, and all manner of the jungle’s natural terrors swarming to obstruct passage. But those who manage to brave this formidable natural barrier find the jungle pacified and silent, falling away before a ring of golden statues at Nharfu's border. Known as the Old Mothers, these magnificent statues of wise and stoic women seem to radiate an arcane power that forces away the jungle's natural threats from the city and instead marshals them for its own protection from the exterior world. Nharfu's well-meaning xenophobia stems not from any hatred of the outside world but from very real fears of exploitation of its riches and the secrets it has held for millennia. But to its citizens, these concerns barely register, for they live in paradise, enjoying abundant food provided by the surrounding jungle and rainfall that fills their golden cisterns readily to the brim, as if nature itself sees fit to provide for them — and in a way, it does just that. The city itself is paved in gold, the stones of its roads studded with raw veins of the precious metal and its walls decorated in designs and patterns of solid bricks of the same, although the surrounding lands possess no mines or mountain streams from which to dig for ore or pan for raw nuggets. This wealth alone would make Nharfu a target for the outside world, but even more enticing than residents' raw enjoyment of wealth is the fact that the city's wisewomen practice a unique form of shamanic alchemy and herb-craft capable of curing disease and infirmity, and prolonging life and youth without resorting to necromancy or demonic pacts. Nharfu's people live by the rule of a democratically elected council of elders, a form of government that is an oddity in much of the world. The council’s rules ensure the smooth function of Nharfu society and protection of the citizens from any external threats. Outsiders who manage to actually find the city are quickly ushered in to meet with the city's ruling council. In order to protect their people from outside troubles, the elders request one of three services from visitors: a thaumaturgically-bound promise to never divulge the city's location and certain details, the drinking of an herbal concoction upon leaving that drains their memories of the city and leaves them with the impression that their stay was but a vivid dream, or a promise to remain in the city for the rest of their lives, dwelling in paradise as equals among the native inhabitants. Those who threaten the city or buck the council's authority find the second option forced upon them by the city's powerful matrons. Category:Small Cities Category:Locations Category:Locations in the Sabo Jungles Category:Locations in Gtalsifom Category:Settlements Category:Settlements in the Sabo Jungles